


There Comes a Savior

by SomeoneAsGoodAsYou (the_wanlorn)



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Dinner, F/M, Family, Family being Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 04:25:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17155280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_wanlorn/pseuds/SomeoneAsGoodAsYou
Summary: Lucifer's brother Michael shows up at the Deckers' for Christmas. It does not go great.





	There Comes a Savior

**Author's Note:**

  * For [csulliven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/csulliven/gifts).



> Merry Christmas!! This is for [@csulliven](https://csulliven.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr's prompt, "Samael". Enjoy!

The smells of Christmas filled Chloe's house, wafting out from the kitchen and making everyone's mouths water. The roast was just about ready to come out of the oven, and Chloe was hovering in front of it, a glass of wine in her hand, waiting for the timer to go off. Lucifer, clearly uncomfortable with the entire thing but willing to make an effort for her — and didn't that just make her heart sing sometimes — lurked in the doorway, watching her.

"Must we listen to this infernal racket?" he asked after she turned and raised her eyebrows at him in silent question.

"Trixie likes Christmas music," she said for the third time that day, yet unable to not smile at him.

"Yes, yes," he said. "But the one about the donkey. Can we listen to absolutely anything else? I'm begging you, Detective."

Her smile slowly morphed to a smirk and she left her vigil by the stove to grab her phone — currently connected to the sound system — to queue up a new song. Lucifer seemed to catch on to her plan when she was halfway across the room.

"Don't you dare," he said, his long strides eating up the ground between the door and her phone. She got there barely ahead of him, grabbing up her phone and then leaning backward over the counter to keep it away from him.

"Detective..." he said warningly, leaning over her and stretching for the phone as she hurriedly scrolled through the music. She hit play and the squeaky sound of a little girl singing about hippopotamuses filled the house, along with Trixie's squeal of joy and Dan's groan. Lucifer sighed the most put-upon sigh she had ever heard and thunked his forehead down on the counter next to her head.

"You did say anything," she said, smirking over at him.

Lucifer was braced over her as he raised his head to look at her. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as they locked gazes. The heat in his eyes... She knew nothing was going to happen, that he would never make the first move again. She had given him so many opportunities over the past few months, and nothing. If she were being honest with herself, half the time she wasn't even certain he wanted the same things she did anymore. Like perhaps she had been a passing fancy.

But then something like this would happen. Lucifer licked his lips, his tongue flicking out unconsciously, and she followed the motion with her eyes, wanted to trace it with her fingertips and follow up with her mouth. She let the phone drop to the counter and started to lean up toward him.

Then the doorbell rang, the buzzer on the oven going off right after it. Lucifer stood, jerking away like he'd been stung, and Chloe followed him up.

"Can you get the door?" she asked, going over to the oven and grabbing her oven mitts. It was going to be a small Christmas, just her immediate family, and she had thought everyone was already there. Maybe her mom or Dan had stepped out and accidentally locked the door behind them.

The door clicked shut as she pulled out the roast, but she didn't hear any footsteps and Lucifer didn't come back to the kitchen. After covering the meat in tinfoil to let it rest, she poked her head around the corner. Trixie, Dan, and her mom looked up at her from the game they were playing on the floor. The only one missing was Lucifer.

"Who was at the door?" she asked, wiping her hands off on her apron.

"You never told me that Lucifer had a twin brother!" her mom said, a look in her eye that Chloe didn't like. The last thing she needed was her mother sleeping w- wait.

"Twin brother?" she asked, to make sure she heard her right.

"Yeah, Chlo," Dan said, looking just as bewildered as she felt.

"He didn't look very nice," Trixie said with a frown down at the game. "I don't like him."

"Okay..." Chloe said. "I'm just gonna go check on them."

She could hear voices outside the door, arguing indistinctly. One of them was definitely Lucifer, and the other sounded so similar to him that, had she not known Lucifer as well as she did, she would have thought he was talking to himself. When she opened the door, she was greeted with the sight of him, stone-faced in his suit, and a man who looked exactly like him in an equally nice suit.

"Samael, this is completely inappropriate," his brother was hissing as she came out onto the steps. She didn't like his tone of voice.

Lucifer opened his mouth to respond, then noticed she was there and pivoted to her, taking a step that brought him slightly inbetween her and his brother. "Detective! I-"

"Ms. Decker," his brother said over him, moving toward her. Lucifer's mouth snapped closed and he bristled until she gave him a warning glance. It was Christmas, surely they could handle this without shouting on Christmas. "I'm Michael. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Michael," she said. "I've... heard so much about you."

She glanced between him and Lucifer, who just shrugged at her, looking bored. "He was just leaving."

"Come now, Lucifer, you would turn away your own brother on Christmas?"

Chloe watched as Lucifer's face shuttered further. He studied her for a moment, eyes roving over her face, before turning back to Michael.

"I'm a guest in this house," he said, his gaze flicking back to her, trying to convey a message she couldn't quite decipher. "It would be rude to invite someone to dinner, brother or no."

"Of course your brother can come in for dinner," Chloe said automatically, stepping aside. A muscle ticked in Lucifer's jaw, but he didn't say anything. Maybe this was like his tumultuous relationship with Amenadiel; she wouldn't be surprised if his relationship with all his many siblings was fractured. Surely if he could forgive Amenadiel, he could forgive another sibling, and Christmas was a good time to do it.

"Why don't you go introduce him to everyone else," Chloe said as she ushered them both inside. "Send Dan for another chair while I get the roast ready."

Lucifer nodded to her, without saying a word, and showed Michael to the table as she went back to the kitchen, already beginning to feel like she had made a mistake.

* * *

"-and then he said, "But what about the goats?""

Penelope and Dan burst into delighted laughter, while Chloe watched Lucifer out of the corner of her eye. He was tense, and grew tenser with each story Michael told. It looked like he was alternating between barely bridled fury and a cold sort of detachment that had her wanting to end the whole dinner, send everyone home, and take Lucifer somewhere to kiss the lines off his face. If only that were her place.

"Mom," she said before either her or Dan could start asking questions about Lucifer and the goats, hoping her desperation to change the subject wasn't obvious in her voice. "I saw online that you were cast in a new movie?"

"Oh, yes, dear, but that's much too boring to talk about." Penelope leaned forward a little, thrusting her cleavage out just a bit more than was appropriate.

Chloe fought not to roll her eyes, and put another scoop of mashed potatoes on Trixie's plate. She was staring — no, glaring — at Michael as he opened his mouth to say something else. Her little monkey had good taste. The stories he was telling weren't quite offensive — there was nothing she could put her finger on to call him out with — and he looked like he was telling them from a place of gentle amusement. But the way Lucifer kept tensing more and more with every story, the way his knuckles were white where he was gripping his fork...

She had made a mistake.

"Hey man," Dan was saying to Lucifer. Trixie had turned her glare on him. "Your brother has a nice, normal name. What happened to you?"

Michael smiled fondly, his teeth sharp. "He chose that name for himself, don't let him fool you. His real name is Sam."

Dan and her mom slowly turned toward Lucifer, who had put his fork down gently, laying it on the side of his plate. His face was utterly devoid of expression, in a way that had Chloe scared he was going to leap over the table and strangle Michael where he sat.

"Ha!" Dan said, grinning like this was the best news he'd heard all day. "I knew it!"

"That's a much nicer name than Lucifer," her mom said, seemingly not noticing that Lucifer was grinding his teeth. "Why don't you go by that?"

"Because it's not my name," Lucifer ground out. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, glanced at Chloe, and rearranged his face into something resembling a pleasant, distant expression. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't necessary, that he was allowed to be angry when his brother was being such a colossal tool.

"Don't be so dramatic," Michael said, still smiling. "You always were the most dramatic of our siblings."

"I'm not dramatic." Lucifer snapped his mouth shut, probably realizing too late that saying that just made him sound dramatic.

"See?" Michael asked, looking pleased and regarding the rest of the table like a king looking benevolently over the nobles of his kingdom.

"You're mean." Trixie's voice was almost drowned out by the laughter from Dan and Chloe's mother. Almost.

"Trix, don't be rude to guests," Dan scolded, even as Chloe was making a note to reward Trixie with a big slice of chocolate cake after everyone had left.

"Dad!" she said, crossing her arms and sitting back in her seat with another glare to Michael. "He's being a bully."

"It's all in good fun," Dan told her, a sentiment echoed by Penelope.

Chloe glanced at Lucifer again, who was staring off into the distance and seeming not to be paying attention to anything going on around him. She knew better.

"It is like being a bully," she said before Trixie could argue more.

"Don't," Lucifer said quietly, his hand twitching like he wanted to touch her but didn't dare. "It's alright."

She stood abruptly. "Looks like we're out of gravy. Lucifer, come help me get some from the kitchen."

When Lucifer was slow to start getting up, she grabbed his hand to pull him along faster, wanting to get out of the room so they could talk in relative privacy. His fingers spasmed in hers, gripping too tight for a second before loosening into something more relaxed. She was glad she had got up, and glad she had dragged him after her. Hopefully Trixie's presence at the table would stop any _bad_ behind-the-back talk from going on. She should probably feel guilty for using her daughter that way, but as long as it wasn't hurting anyone...

As soon as they were in the kitchen and out of sight of the rest of the party, she pulled Lucifer into a tight hug. She felt his hands flutter on her back before he settled into the embrace, pulling her closer and burying his nose in her hair. He inhaled deep and some of the tension seemed to flow out of him.

"I'm so sorry," she said into his chest. "I can throw him out. Just tell me what you want me to do."

"No," he said quietly, but his voice was strained like the effort of being calm was wearing on him. "I promise not to start a fight with him. I won't make a scene and ruin Christmas for your family."

"I'm offering to make the scene for you," she said, leaning back from him just enough that she could look up at him and catch his eye. He looked conflicted, gaze darting to the entrance to the kitchen and back.

"No, Detective, it's alright." He smiled down at her, sadness and a resigned acceptance tinging it. "Let him have his fun; I'll muddle through somehow. I don't want to ruin Christmas for you."

It was the second time he'd said it, and it took her a moment to realize what he really meant.

"Lucifer," she said, careful and soft and gentle like he was as deer on the verge of spooking. She had gotten better at it over the years, but she still couldn't always tell what was going to send him running. "If Christmas is being ruined for you, it is being ruined for my family."

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I'll-" He froze and broke off, stiffening in her arms until it was like he was made of wood.

She caught his eye again and reached up to cup his cheek, thumb swiping against his stubble. She didn't say anything, just let him process that she considered him part of her family.

"Chloe," he said, voice full of wonder. "I-"

Whatever he had been about to say was cut off as Trixie came barreling into the room, smashing into his legs and attaching herself to him like a barnacle. He was still so shocked by the revelation that he just put a calming hand on her head instead of immediately trying to extricate himself and complaining about sticky child fingers on his trousers.

"Your brother _sucks_ ," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Trixie!" Chloe said, even though she privately agreed. Michael was awful to Lucifer, which made him an awful person. She wasn't sure when that had become her barometer, especially considering how annoying and abrasive Lucifer could be, but there it was. If someone was. awful to him unprompted, they were probably an awful person in general.

"What did he say to you?" Lucifer asked, already on alert like a guard dog smelling danger.

"Nothing," she said, frowning up at him. She let Chloe gently detach her from him and draw her away. It was like exposure therapy. Keep doses of Trixie small and build up his immunity. "He's still being mean to you even though you're not there. It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs."

"Quite right," Lucifer said and smiled down at her.

"That's it." Chloe rubbed her hands together and nodded sharply, once. He had been given enough chances over the course of the meal. Now it was time for Michael to go.

"I suppose if he's upsetting Beatrice..." Lucifer said, still looking uncomfortable with the idea of a scene being caused, so unlike him that it made her heart clench painfully.

"And because he's upsetting you," Chloe was sure to reiterate before she marched back to the table, going around and standing pointedly next to Michael. She didn't even let him finish the story he was telling, just cut in with, "It's time for you to go."

The table went silent. Dan and her mom were watching with something close to annoyance in their twin gazes. She didn't care. Lucifer and Trixie were standing in the door to the kitchen, watching, and she met Lucifer's eyes and rolled her own. He cracked a tiny smile.

"Sam," Michael started. "Are you really going to-"

He didn't finished, his mouth snapping shut when Chloe gripped his shoulder, fingers digging in like he was just another human that she could hurt into submission. When he turned his head to look at her, his gaze was ice cold. She met it head-on, staring with her own ice-cold gaze, the one that had perps cowering in front of her in the interrogation room with or without Lucifer's presence.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucifer take a step forward, in front of Trixie, but she didn't take her attention off of Michael.

"It's Christmas," she said, her voice as pleasant as her eyes were cold. "Let's not cause a scene."

Michael stared for what seemed like an eternity, but she refused to back down. Trixie had disappeared back into the kitchen and Lucifer was slowly edging around the table, heading her way. She had backup if she needed it; she always had backup if she needed it now.

Suddenly, the cold, angelic fury version of Michael disappeared, and he placed his napkin on his empty plate. Chloe let go and moved back, and he rose, giving both Dan and Penelope a nod of his head.

"It was lovely to meet you," he said. He turned to Chloe and his eyes narrowed, a hint of that same frostiness in his gaze. But he didn't say anything other than, "Thank you for inviting me into your home, Ms. Decker."

Chloe didn't say anything, but she did trail him out, Lucifer trailing her. When he stopped at the door and met Lucifer's eyes, she moved between them, not caring how obvious the gesture was. Michael didn't say anything, though, merely turned and went out the door. Chloe closed and locked it behind him, despite knowing it probably wouldn't do any good if he really wanted in again.

She glanced back at Lucifer, and felt a smile breaking over her face. He stared at her in confusion for a moment, then slowly started to smile too. Her nerves were finally realizing that she had just faced off against an angry angel and, if not won an actual battle, at least kicked him out of her house. If she started laughing, she wasn't going to stop, so she bit it back and just smiled.

"I can't believe I did that," she finally said, shakily.

Lucifer pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly, fiercely. "Thank you, darling."

"No one gets to talk to my family that way," she muttered into his shirt before gently pushing him away. "Come on, dinner's going to get cold and I still need to bring out dessert."

"Of course," he said, and let her lead the way back to the table. Trixie had already reclaimed her spot, and as soon as she saw Chloe and Lucifer, she started digging into her food again, apparently confident that they had taken care of the bad guy. They could get back to a nice, normal Christmas dinner, and-

"Did you really have to cause such a scene on Christmas, Chloe?" Penelope asked, sighing at the end like she had expected more of her daughter. "He was such a nice young man. He was just teasing because he loves his brother."

Chloe sighed and cast her gaze to the ceiling, hoping that someone, anyone, would lend her patience. She didn't know how to explain that it wasn't _just_ teasing. That it had been teasing with the intent to hurt and embarrass. That is had been the sort of teasing only a family member can do, the kind that gets under your skin and jabs at you for days, the sort you can't say anything about because they sound like _such a nice person_. How could you say that to the person in your life who was the one who did that sort of thing?

Dan seemed determined to either break the awkward silence with his face or to rile Lucifer up further so Lucifer would break his face, she wasn't sure, because he said, "So... Sam? Your name is Sam?"

Lucifer opened his mouth to deny it, probably to tell Dan off and cause an actual scene, but Chloe beat him to the punch.

"I swear to God, Dan-" she didn't miss the shake of Lucifer's face at the mention of his father "-if I ever hear you calling him that I will gut you. His name is Lucifer." She included her mother in her glare, just to make sure the message got to both of them. Then she sat down and picked up her fork.

"Now let's finish dinner. I have a yule log and apple pie for dessert."

"Yes!" Trixie shrieked. "Chocolate cake!"

Chloe didn't miss the way Lucifer was watching her with a soft smile on his face, or the adoration in his gaze, or the way his fingers brushed hers under the table. She turned her hand over and caught them for the briefest moment, lacing her fingers through his and giving a squeeze before letting go so she could eat.

* * *

Later, after finishing dinner and eating cake and sending Dan and Penelope home and putting Trixie to bed, Chloe stood next to Lucifer at the sink as they washed dishes together. The soft glow of the Christmas tree's twinkling lights reached into the kitchen, and she must have stood just right for a second, because they reflected off of something attached to the ceiling. She looked up, then smiled and bumped Lucifer with her shoulder, jerking her chin up.

"Trixie must have put it up there while we were throwing your brother out," she said, her voice soft. She wasn't going to push him, but it _was_ the perfect excuse to kiss him, to test the waters again after their many interruptions.

He stared at her, his gaze flicking down to her lips before jerking back to her eyes guiltily. Finally, he said hurriedly, "Don't worry about it. I'll take it down."

She decided in what felt like less than a millisecond that she wasn't going to let him off that easily. She was already in his space, so it was easy to turn with him, getting in closer until they were sharing the same breath. Lucifer froze, one hand reaching fro the mistletoe, the other automatically going to her waist.

She touched his cheek and put her hand flat on his chest, knowing he was going to complain about the sudsy water later and not caring. He made a surprised noise when she brushed her lips against his, coming back a little firmer each time, waiting for him to catch up. When he finally did, his arms came around her, pulling her tight against him. She nipped gently on his lower lip and he opened for her.

She licked her way into his mouth, exploring and drawing a soft groan out of him at the slick movement. He tasted like the candy canes he and Trixie had been stealing from the tree all night. She led his tongue back into her mouth, the slick slide of it making her knees weak. Her hand on his chest clenched as he drew his tongue gently across the roof of her mouth and softened the kiss, turning it into a sweet press of lips.

She could feel the kiss in her toes, a heat traveling from her lips down the length of her body, sparking everywhere they were pressed together. She wanted him.

This time, when she deepened the kiss, he met her touch for touch, their tongues tangling and moving against each other. She made a soft noise of want in the back of her throat and he groaned and broke away, dropping his forehead to hers, breathing a little fast. After a moment of silently sharing space, she let him draw away. He cleared his throat and turned back to the dishes.

"That was-" he said to the dishes, but before he could finish she broke in with, "If you say a mistake I'm going to kick you in the nuts."

He laughed a little. "Not at all. That was a perfect ending to the day. Thank you."

She mouthed the words, cocking her head a little. Thank you. That could go either way if she was honest. But she caught the slightly anxious way he was flicking his gaze between her and the dishes, and thought that maybe she knew what was happening, whispered echoes of "I'm not worth it" floating around inside her head.

So she hooked a finger in his pocket, slowly drawing him away from the sink and out from under the mistletoe.

"Lucifer," she said quietly, tugging gently until he followed her as she stepped backward through the kitchen. "Leave the dishes for tomorrow."

"I suppose it is getting late," he said, smirking at her just enough to let her know he was teasing.

"Oh yes, very late," she said, smirking back at him. "And I'm afraid my room is a little chilly at the moment..."

A slow smile slid over his face, and he darted in to kiss her again, thoroughly distracting her from walking. She stumbled to a stop, her hands gripping his biceps as he held onto her waist. They ended up with her back pressed against the wall, curling her toes as he kissed her and gasping quietly when he backed off.

"You were saying?" he said, sounding smug and delighted at the same time.

"I was saying we should head upstairs," she said, sliding her hand down his arm and twining her fingers with his. "If you want to."

"I'd love nothing more, darling," he murmured and she led them toward the stairs. She was hurrying a little; she didn't know how long she could go without kissing him again. When she glanced back to him, he was looking at her like she was a Christmas miracle. She smiled gently at him and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand.

There were worse things to be than the Devil's Christmas miracle.

The End


End file.
